Ichizo (Christian)

Ichizo (1590-1640) was the elder of the Japanese Christian community in Tomogi. He was a devout Catholic who continued to lead the community while underground, and, in 1640, he made contact with Jesuit priests Sebastiao Rodrigues and Francisco Garupe. That same year, he was arrested and crucified on the ocean shore by the Tokugawa authorities, drowning in the tide.